The Taking of Crystal Tokyo
by aviatrix8
Summary: Set in the Black Moon arc of the series, this is about the events leading up to and including the attack on Crystal Tokyo.
1. The Duties of War

Copyright Aviatrix8, 2000-01. Sailor Moon and all related characters are property of Naoko Takeuchi, and are used without permission. Alexandra, Aquamarine, Peridot, Topaz and Garnet are characters created by myself, however, and may not be used without permission. 

Notes: Well, it's been over a year since I've started writing this story, but it's finally done (it's amazing what a little encouragement will do ^_~). Keep in mind that this is the first draft, and is still subject to change... Still, I'm pleased that I finished it at all; I've never completed a story this long or this serious in nature before... 

***** 

A Black Moon fanfic 

"The Taking of Crystal Tokyo" 

by Avi 

"And now," said Prince Diamond, steepling his fingers as he sat upon his throne, "there is the matter of Crystal Tokyo." 

He said it as if it was little consequence, or so Sapphire thought; as if one mounted an invasion upon another planet every day. But that, he knew, was just his brother's way. 

Prince Diamond's gaze fell upon his younger brother, who bowed. "Sapphire, you know I have approved the final battle plans." 

"Yes, your Highness. However, I believe we still require someone to lead the attack." Diamond raised a eyebrow. 

"Very well. Any suggestions?" 

"Rubius and the Four Sisters," Sapphire replied promptly. "Or perhaps Emerald." He actually didn't care for either, but both could be very effective if they chose to be. Besides, the prestige of leading such an important attack would lend extra initiative to either commander. 

Prince Diamond looked thoughtful. "Hmmm... Very well. I believe--" 

The Prince was cut off as another figure materialized in the throne room. Wiseman appeared, seeming to rise from the ground like a ghost. 

"Might I make a suggestion, my Prince?" whispered Wiseman in his shadowy tones. 

"Of course, Wiseman," replied Diamond, as Sapphire tried vainly not to clench a fist in annoyance. 

Wiseman gestured at the crystal ball before him. "I have foreseen who will lead the attack on Crystal Tokyo, and it is neither Rubius or Emerald." 

"Then who might it be?" asked Sapphire rather testily. The hooded gaze rested upon his. 

"It is... The Commander of the Elite Guard." 

"What?" gasped Sapphire, not able to contain his shock. He turned to his brother. "Your Highness, the Elite Guard's job is to protect the Royal Family, not go on some assault mission!" 

Prince Diamond turned to Wiseman. "You are absolutely certain of this?" 

"Yes, your Highness. Besides..." Wiseman returned his gaze to Sapphire. "Did you not see to the training of the Elite Guard yourself, Sapphire?" 

"Yes..." he replied cautiously. 

"And you only allow the best warriors into the Guard. So, wouldn't it be logical," said Wiseman, turning back to Diamond, "to send them on such an important mission, where success is vital?" 

Prince Diamond seemed to mull this over. "A most persuasive argument, Wiseman. Very well." He stood up. "The Elite Guard shall lead the attack on Crystal Tokyo." He looked at Sapphire. "I trust you shall inform them, brother?" 

"Of course, Prince Diamond." He bowed, but stiffly. Then he dematerialized, but not before casting a hateful look at Wiseman. 

Then Wiseman sank into the ground, chuckling to himself. "Yes, send the Elite Guard," he said quietly. "For I see nothing in the future for them..." 

When both had completely disappeared, Diamond pressed a secret panel on his throne. On the podium before him, a hologram of Neo-Queen Serenity flickered into being. He held out a hand, as if to touch it longingly. 

"Soon, my dear..." he said softly, the glow of the hologram reflecting the hunger in his eyes. "Soon, you shall be all mine..." 

***** 

Part One: The Duties of War 

Sapphire sat silently in the office of his chambers, decorated in the same trademark blue of his name; the only sound in the room came from his chair, as he swiveled it impatiently about. On top of the desk before him was some paperwork and a glowing computer terminal, both of which he ignored. His hard gaze seemed to rest across from where he sat, upon the door. 

Finally he sighed, and stood up. Turning his back on the door, he said quietly, "Alexandra." 

A woman with scarlet hair materialized in his office, from her post outside. She was dressed simply, or at least, far more simply than the other female warriors of the Black Moon, in red and deep violet; the only jewelry she wore, apart from the familiar dark crystal earrings, was a chain belt of round metal plates, with a reverse crescent in the middle. The Commander of the Elite Guard bowed to Sapphire. 

"Yes, Lord Sapphire?" 

He paused, not knowing where to begin. "I'm sure... You're aware about the impending attack on Earth?" 

"Of course, my lord." 

"And that we are assembling a task force for the mission." 

"Yes?" 

"Well... Congratulations." He turned around, his ironic, blue-eyed gaze meeting her red-violet eyes. "You and the Elite Guard have been chosen to lead the attack." Alexandra raised her eyebrows, but did nothing else to indicate her surprise. 

"Thank you, Lord Sapphire," she said, bowing again. "It is an honour." 

"Yes, I suppose it is, at that," replied Sapphire, sighing. He managed to compose himself, and continued. "I shall brief you and your men in the War Room at 1400 hours; the attack itself will take place tomorrow. I know this is sudden, but I'm afraid time is of the essence. Is that understood?" 

"Yes, my lord." 

"Very well. I'll see you at the briefing; inform your men, and feel free to make your preparations until then. You are dismissed." He turned as Alexandra quietly left the room. He paced for a bit, then sat down, as he considered his Commander of the Elite Guard. 

Alexandra was one of the few military officers he did trust, possibly because she was under his direct command. But he actually respected her, too; she was both loyal and honourable, unusual traits on the treacherous Nemesis. However, he would expect nothing less from the Commander of the Elite Guard, the leader of those who served to protect his brother... Although, even Sapphire had to admit, Prince Diamond could probably take care of himself. 

The Elite Guard was, in effect, a royal bodyguard of sorts. The job might've seemed unnecessary on Nemesis, where the dark energy from the Black Crystal amplified the powers of those who lived on the planet, especially its ruling Prince. However, Sapphire had seen otherwise; he made sure that the Guard was composed of some of the finest and most loyal warriors on Nemesis, overseeing their training himself. 

"I can't believe I let Wiseman trick me into sending them to Earth," muttered Sapphire to himself irritably. Although control of the Guard technically fell to the ruler, Prince Diamond had allowed it to fall to him, perhaps realizing his younger brother's need to protect his older sibling. 

"Still... If there's anyone who could accomplish this mission, they could." He had seen to it himself, hadn't he? 

In two minds of it all, but realizing he could do nothing about it, Sapphire turned back to his work. 

*** 

"We've been chosen? Us?" 

It was Peridot who had spoken out; as the youngest and most impetuous member of Elite Guard, his immediate reaction to their commanding officer's news was not surprising. However, Alexandra fixed him with a stern gaze. 

"Yes, we have been selected to lead the attack on Crystal Tokyo." She arced an eyebrow. "Do you have a problem with that, Peridot?" The green-haired boy flushed. 

"No, Commander," he replied, subdued. 

Alexandra had entered the private training room of the Elite Guard, to inform them about their latest orders. The four members of her team had stood around in various states of repose, as their personalities dictated, but all had listened attentively. 

"I'm sorry for speaking out of turn, Commander," continued Peridot, attempting to make amends. "But I'm actually looking forward to this mission." 

"Yeah. It'll be nice to finally see some action." This was from Garnet, who was casually leaning against the wall. His brown eyes gleamed hungrily. 

"Really, Garnet. You're so bloodthirsty," commented Topaz, tossing his long, golden braid over one shoulder. "Still," he mused, "it has been rather quiet around here, lately..." His voice trailed off, at a sharp look from Alexandra. 

"I don't suppose I could finish speaking now," she said archly. The three subsided, somewhat rebuked. 

Alexandra felt somewhat guilty for reprimanding them, for she could understand their feelings. Because of the Prince's supernatural powers, the Elite Guard spent most of their time training rather than in combat, although all of them had experienced it at one time or another. 

Even now, Alexandra could sense the restlessness in her men; despite their casual demeanour, their muscles were tensed, as if already poised for battle. Still, such enthusiasm for combat didn't excuse them from talking back to their commanding officer. 

Her gaze unconsciously turned towards Aquamarine, her second-in-command. He was the only member of the Elite Guard who had remained silent thus far. However, his cool, blue-green eyes took in everything; he seemed to absorb all that was said, as if noting every nuance of the conversation. Noticing that the commander was looking at him, he gave her an imperceptible nod. Satisfied, she turned back to the rest of her men. 

Alexandra began to give them the information that Sapphire had given her, as well as instructions of her own. As she did this, she silently considered each member of the Elite Guard in turn. 

Peridot, with his light green hair and leaf-green eyes, was the junior member of the group, having being with the Guard for just over a year. But despite his apparent inexperience, he was an excellent warrior; he was one of those types who 'lived for the fight'. His dark olive uniform seemed to echo this, with its vague overtones of armour. 

Leather-clad Garnet, of the dark red hair and blazing brown eyes, was indeed, as Topaz had pointed out, a bit on predatory side. But he had never, in Alexandra's experience, let this more primal side of his nature get in the way of his work; indeed, it seemed to enhance his powers. 

Golden-haired and golden-eyed, elegant Topaz was the nobility of the group. Despite his seeming refinement, he himself was a fine warrior, as well, fighting with the absolute precision of the well-trained. His rich taste was reflected in the uniform he wore, and in the golden cords strung across the front of his jacket. 

And finally, there was Aquamarine, he of the light blue hair and cool, aqua eyes. He was the analytical one of the four, one of the reasons that Alexandra had made him her second, and also fought with the same cold, calculating accuracy. His uniform, like that of the others, was of the same style as of that of the ruling prince and his brother, with its decorated, high-collared jacket; his was light blue, with a white design that resembled stylized waves. On a length of cord around his neck, he wore the reversed crescent of the Black Moon, with a blue-green teardrop mounted upon it. 

After she had finished relaying her instructions, she dismissed her men. They promptly left to complete the tasks they had been given, except for Aquamarine, who lingered behind. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his commanding officer, who waved him away. 

"It's okay, Aquamarine," she told him. "I don't feel like talking at the moment... I just want to be alone with my thoughts." He nodded in reply, and quietly left the room. Alexandra now stood by herself in the training room. Absentmindedly, she pulled out one of the stools and sat down, thinking. 

She had sensed Sapphire's apprehension when he had told her about the Elite Guard's latest mission. She had to admit, even she had been surprised when he told her that they had been selected to lead the attack on Earth, despite the fact that they were, technically, military operatives, and could have been chosen. However, Sapphire's concern worried her; he was usually so confident in the Guard's abilities. In fact, the only thing that could disturb him like this was... 

"Wiseman," she muttered to herself. Sapphire's dislike of the soothsayer was well-known, even to those outside the inner circles of court life. 

"Wiseman must've suggested us for the mission; that's probably why he was so unnerved," she continued, murmuring to herself. Add to that the fact that it was those who were assigned to protect his brother that were to be sent to Earth... Alexandra sighed. 

She had spent enough time working with Sapphire to know what he was like. Over the years, she had come to realize that his older brother's welfare was the central, most important thing in his life; that was why he made sure the Elite Guard worked diligently at their job. In fact, he had gone so far as to enhance their natural powers... 

Alexandra found herself thinking back to that day; it had been about a year ago, and she had been summoned to his office. 

*** 

"You sent for me, Lord Sapphire?" 

He had been standing in front of his desk with his back to her, but had turned around and smiled. "Yes, Alexandra, I did. Come, there is something I'd like to show you." He gestured to his desk, upon which she noticed there were four objects. She approached tentatively, as this was most unlike Sapphire, but her curiousity had been piqued. 

As she came closer, she realized the objects on his desk were weapons, each inscribed with the symbol of the Black Moon. She stopped in front of the desk and examined them with interest. 

The first was a trident, which appeared to be made out pale blue glass; the next, a cat'o'nine tails made of reddish-black leather. Another was a sickle, its crescent-shaped blade a light shade of green; and finally, there was a long coil of golden wire. As she looked at them in wonder, Sapphire watched her reaction intently. 

"What do you think?" he asked. 

"They're lovely," Alexandra replied, admiring the craftmanship. She gestured to one. "May I?" 

"Be my guest." 

She picked up the trident, and turned it over in her hands. It was probably not made out of glass as she first thought, as it radiated a coldness to her touch. She put it down carefully. 

"They're very well-made," she continued. Noticing his attention, she asked, "Did you make these, Sapphire?" He nodded. 

Alexandra was impressed. She had thought Sapphire's crafting abilities had only applied to crystal structures; she would've never thought he could create weaponry, as well. She ran a finger over the blade of the sickle. 

"Amazing. One of these days, you'll be able to create life," she joked lightly. She turned away from the weapons, somewhat reluctantly. "Well, I'm sure whoever these are intended for will appreciate them," she commented. 

"I'm glad you think so," Sapphire replied. "Because they're for the Elite Guard." Alexandra looked at him in surprise, then glanced back at the weapons. 

"This is most generous of you, Sapphire. The effort it must've taken..." He waved a hand dismissively. 

"Think nothing of it. I just thought I should let you look them over, before I gave them to your men." 

"Thank you... Thank you very much. I'm sure they'll use them well; I'll go inform the Guard right away..." She turned to go, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. 

"Wait," said Sapphire. As she turned around, he pulled something off his desk, a small box of the type that carried jewelry. He handed it to her. Alexandra stared at it in astonishment. 

"Take it," he said quietly. "It's for you." 

She looked up into his steady, blue-eyed gaze. As if mesmerized, she took the box from his hands and slowly opened it. Inside, lay two earrings made of a dark crystal. As she stood there dazed, Sapphire's voice filtered through. 

"You think I would arm the rest of the guard without equipping their commanding officer as well?" he asked, almost sounding amused. 

It was then Alexandra recognized the earrings as the type worn by the favoured servants of the Black Crystal. She also recalled that she had never seen Sapphire wear a pair himself, although his brother did. She then realized the full implications of his gift. 

"I can't accept this," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "These were--" She was about to say, 'given to you by Wiseman', but tactfully changed it to, "not meant for me." Sapphire's cool gaze fell on her. 

"Those were given to me to be used as I saw fit," he said sternly. "They would serve you far better than they would me. Besides..." His tone softened a bit, and he sighed. "They are far more powerful than anything I could create." 

Alexandra raised her eyebrows at Sapphire's admission, and the implication that he might actually be less powerful than Wiseman. She glanced down at the earrings to mask her surprise. 

"Still... Are you absolutely certain about this, Sapphire?" 

"Of course." 

She sighed. "Very well, then." She took one of the earrings from the box and held it up to the light. "How do I use them?" she asked curiously. Sapphire looked thoughtful. 

"Well, from what I know, those were supposed to amplify my powers over dark matter... However, they should adjust to whoever uses them." Alexandra carefully replaced the earring in the case and shut it. She then looked up at him and smiled. 

"Thank you, Sapphire. This is a very kind gift." She bowed slightly. "I'm sure it will serve me well in my duties to the Prince." Sapphire smiled back at her, knowing that she understood. 

"It is nothing. I know you will use them well." Alexandra bowed once more, more formally this time, and left the room. 

When she had returned to her quarters, she tried out the earrings. She had been uncertain what would happen after she exerted her will over them, but Alexandra had been quite shocked as they both lengthened into a sword and dagger, the clasps reforming into hilts. When she had picked up the sword, she had been both amazed and gratified to find it had the finest balance she had ever found in a weapon in her life; it almost felt like an extension of her arm. Its edge seemed infinitely sharp, and she thought could almost feel the power of the Black Crystal throbbing within it. 

"Yes, a very kind gift indeed," murmured Alexandra to herself, returning to the present. Her hand flew inadvertantly to the one of the earrings she wore, brushing it. She smiled quietly to herself, but realizing she was doing so, it quickly disappeared from her face. She sighed. 

"Well, enough of dwelling in the past," she said, steeling herself. There was much to do before the mission briefing. She stood up and began her own preparations for the upcoming battle. 

*** 

Alexandra materialized in the War Room just before 1400 hours to find that both Sapphire and the rest of the Elite Guard were already there, standing around the low, crystal podium that served as a map display. The former nodded to her as she entered. 

"Ah, there you are, Commander. We've been waiting for you; I was just about to get the meeting underway." Alexandra inclined her head apologetically. Her men parted respectfully as she took a position around the map, where she could get a good view. 

Meanwhile, Sapphire had waved a hand over the display, and a hologram of Crystal Tokyo appeared. He began to speak. 

"As you know, you have been all chosen to lead the attack on Crystal Tokyo. I will now relay to you the details of your mission." He waved his hand over the map, and five glowing red dots appeared; one centred at the Crystal Palace, and the other four equidistant from it. 

"At noon tomorrow, huge pulses of energy from the Black Crystal will be aimed towards these five points, effectively weakening the defenses of Crystal Tokyo. However, that is not all... Every one of you will also be teleported to each of the five points, hidden within the energy." He lifted an eyebrow. "Being of Nemesis, you will, naturally, be able withstand the power of the Black Crystal, but the effect it will have on the people of Earth will be devastating." 

Sapphire held up a pair of dark crystal earrings. "Each of you be given a pair of these, which have been provided by Wiseman." His mouth twisted distastefully at the name, but he continued. "With these, you will be able to harness the energy of the Black Crystal; your Commander, already having a pair, will not need these, of course." Alexandra inclined her head to him in acknowledgment. He looked at her. 

"Alexandra, you will take centre-point; the rest of you will take the other points around Crystal Tokyo." 

He gestured once more with his hand, and five crystal statuettes appeared above him. Alexandra found herself distracted from the briefing, if only for a moment; with Sapphire's usual attention to detail, the statuettes were precise likenesses of the Elite Guard, done in the jewels of their namesakes. 

"I will keep track of your progress with these crystal counters, each of which are keyed to your respective energy signatures." The statuettes hovered above the map for a moment, then touched down at the five marked points. "Use the earrings to channel the power of the Black Crystal to each spot. Once you've all finished planting the dark energy, you may then begin the second phase of the mission." 

"And that might be...?" inquired Aquamarine blandly. Sapphire's cool, blue gaze met his own. 

"To lure the Sailor Soldiers away from the Crystal Palace... And to eliminate them." Aquamarine raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing. 

"The buildup of dark power at the points is sure to attract the attention of the Sailor Soldiers, and lead them out into the open," Sapphire continued, his voice returning to normal. He turned back to Alexandra. 

"Commander, since you have centre-point, you are to make sure that once the Sailor Soldiers leave the palace, no one else follows them. Is that understood?" 

"Yes, Lord Sapphire," she replied, bowing her head. 

"Good. You will also provide back-up to whomever needs it... However, I hardly think any of you will require it," he commented, his mouth twisting into an ironic smile. He composed himself. 

"Once you have all completed your missions, you may use the earrings to teleport back to Nemesis. Then, our dark crystal probes will be sent in to begin the assault on the Crystal Palace." 

Sapphire paused. "That's all for now... Are there any questions?" There was silence. "Excellent. Now--" 

He was interrupted as a pull of energy drew all of their attention. Everybody in the room turned, as Prince Diamond materialized in the room. 

Sapphire's eyes widened. "Brother?" he gasped in surprise. The Prince's violet gaze fell upon him. 

"Sapphire." Diamond nodded to him in reply. He looked at the members of the Elite Guard, who immediately bowed. "Have you finished briefing the task force on their mission?" 

"I just finished doing so, your Highness. However--" 

"Excellent." Prince Diamond unconsciously cut him off. The violet eyes turned to Alexandra, who stiffened. "I would like to have word with you in private, Commander." 

Hearing this, the rest of the Elite Guard took the hint, and quietly left the room. The Prince was about to speak to Alexandra, when his gaze fell upon someone else. 

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear, brother." Sapphire looked taken aback. 

"But I thought--" He bit off the rest of the sentence, at Diamond's cold stare. 

"Yes, your Highness," said Sapphire, relenting. He bowed and walked out the door, but not without casting a pained glance at his brother. When he was gone, Prince Diamond turned back to Alexandra, who was standing at attention somewhat uneasily. 

Alexandra had never been completely comfortable under the direct attention of her Prince, even though she had spent a lot of time in his presence while guarding him. Personally, she found that there was something untouchable, even implacable about his Highness. Perhaps it was simply because he was her ruler; she had always felt that the Prince should be venerated, no matter how overly traditional it might seem. 

Still, Alexandra did find Prince Diamond beautiful, all brilliant, cold fire like the jewel he was named for. And he had the same intense gaze that both he and his younger brother shared; that gaze was focused on her now. 

"Sapphire has told all the details of the attack, I believe." Alexandra nodded briefly. "Good." He walked over to the map of Crystal Tokyo, looking it over. 

"I am aware that you are taking point guard at the Crystal Palace, tomorrow." 

"Yes, your Highness." 

"I would just like to make a slight change in your orders," he continued smoothly. 

Alexandra paled slightly. "Sire?" 

Diamond walked back to her, and held her in his magnetic, violet eyes. "I have a very important mission for you, Commander. I trust you will carry out my orders to the best of your abilities." It was a statement, not a question. 

She bowed. "Your Highness, I live only to serve," she answered truthfully. 

"Excellent. Then listen carefully." He took a step closer to her, looking deep into her eyes until Alexandra felt as if she was trapped by his hypnotic gaze. 

"During the attack tomorrow, I want you to enter the Crystal Palace," said Prince Diamond, quietly. "And then, Alexandra, I want you to find King Endymion... And kill him." 

TO BE CONTINUED... 

***** 


	2. Honour at War

A Black Moon fanfic 

"The Taking of Crystal Tokyo" 

***** 

Part Two: Honour at War 

It took a while for Prince Diamond's words to sink in, but when they did, it felt as if the floor had dropped from underneath Alexandra. 

_Kill... The King of the Earth?_ she thought, her eyes widening. _Surely he can't be serious!_ But the icy look in his eyes told her that he was deadly serious. 

And then she also recalled that King Endymion was Neo-Queen Serenity's consort... Alexandra tried not to wince. The Prince's obsession with the Queen was notorious among those within the royal circles. 

Though she managed to keep her expression neutral, Diamond must've sensed her apprehension, for he continued, "I realize that this will be a difficult task for you, but the attack on Earth should distract everyone sufficiently for you to enter the palace undetected. I have complete faith in your abilities, Alexandra." 

The Prince cocked his head to one side. "Sapphire has said much about your competency as a commanding officer," he commented, causing her to flush slightly. "And I believe him. I am sure you will do all in your power to accomplish this mission." His gaze hardened. "I will not tolerate failure, Commander." 

"I will do my best," she managed to reply. 

"See that you do," he replied; the ice in his tone made her blood run cold. 

"That is all... You are dismissed." 

She bowed deeply, automatically, and turned to leave. As she reached the door, Prince Diamond called out. 

"Alexandra?" 

She turned. "Your Highness?" 

"One more thing. I would also appreciate if you would keep the details of your mission a secret; especially from my brother." His stern, violet gaze met hers. "I trust you will do so." Alexandra inclined her head, casting her eyes to the floor. 

"Yes, your Highness," she answered, her voice low. Nodding, the Prince turned away. 

Alexandra silently exited the War Room; it seemed sacriligious to dematerialize in the presence of her ruler. She then walked slowly down the hallway. 

She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice Sapphire standing in front of her until she almost walked into him. When Alexandra noticed this, she looked up, surprised. 

"My Lord," she said uneasily, "Forgive me, I didn't see you over there. Please--" 

"Alexandra, I need to talk to you," Sapphire said, abruptly cutting her off. 

Then, much to her astonishment, he took her arm and teleported them both to his office. As she reeled from the shock of this, Sapphire walked over his desk. He then leaned on it, staring at her intently. With a start, Alexandra suddenly realized she was being observed. She quickly came to attention. 

"Alexandra," he began, without delay. "You must tell me what my brother told you in the War Room just now." His eyes met her resolutely impassive gaze. 

"I can't," she replied quietly. 

Sapphire's eyes widened. "What?" 

"I was told by the Prince," she continued, trying to keep her voice steady, "that it was be kept secret." 

"Even from me?" he asked, almost plaintively. There was a pleading look in his eyes. 

Alexandra dropped her gaze. "Especially from you." 

Sapphire's expression hardened. "I see," he replied coolly, turning his back on her. 

At this, Alexandra's resolve softened; she felt she had to explain. "Sapphire, Prince Diamond specifically ordered me not tell you; he practically commanded it. As Commander of the Elite Guard, you know I can't break my word to my liege lord." _Not even for you,_ she added silently. 

His back remained turned against her. Alexandra wondered if Sapphire would ever reply... After what seemed like an eternity, he sighed. 

"Your loyalty to the Prince does you credit, Commander," Sapphire conceded wearily. "Although... I hope that, in this one instance, it isn't misplaced." He turned to look at her. "You are dismissed." She bowed under his gaze, relieved, then left the room. Sapphire watched her go. 

He felt sorry for Alexandra for a moment; perhaps he should've told her that he was more upset about his brother keeping secrets from him, than he was at her. Hopefully, she would realize that herself... Sapphire then frowned, as recalled the scene in the War Room: Prince Diamond glaring at him, waiting for him to leave. 

"Brother..." he murmured. "What are you up to?" 

*** 

It was almost midnight on Nemesis. However, because of the perpetually twillight sky of the planet, it was difficult to tell if it was actually that late, or indeed, whether it was night or day. 

In the darkened practice hall of the Elite Guard, a single figure still trained. Alexandra, a sword held in both hands, went through the carefully rehearsed movements of the fencer. She did not use her dark crystal blades; she felt it was unseemly to use them for a mere workout. Instead, she used a katana, the Japanese longsword favoured by samurai. Methodically, she went through the thrusts, blocks and lunges of her exercises with a studied grace, honed by years and years of training. 

Suddenly, she sensed movement behind her. Whirling around, the sword swept through the air, slashing around at shoulder height. 

It stopped mere millimetres from the neck of the person who had just entered. Alexandra relaxed slightly, as she recognized who it was. 

"Hello, Aquamarine." 

"Commander." He glanced down pointedly at the blade at his neck. She took the hint, and moved it away. 

"You're up a bit late," she commented, shaking red hair from her eyes. Aquamarine raised an eyebrow. 

"The same could be said for you." His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Is there something troubling you, Commander?" 

"What makes you think something is troubling me?" she asked, examining the blade of her sword. 

"You only practice this late when you have something on your mind," replied her second blandly. 

Alexandra said nothing. Turning her back on him, she walked over to a stool; grabbing the towel slung on it, she mopped her brow, then wiped the towel deliberately across her sword. Aquamarine continued to watch her intently. 

"I don't suppose that has anything to do with you having to assassinate King Endymion tomorrow," he said, quietly. 

Alexandra paused in mid-polish; it was only her training that prevented her from dropping the sword in surprise. She turned and looked up sharply at Aquamarine. 

"How did you--" He shrugged, and replied in his usual, level tone. 

"When Prince Diamond wanted to talk to you privately in the War Room this afternoon, it seemed obvious that he wanted to send you on a special mission. Since your post is at the Crystal Palace, and in light of his obsession with the Neo-Queen, I surmised that that would be the most likely task you'd be assigned." 

Alexandra stared at his cold, clinical analysis. Then she flushed as she realized that, against orders, she had revealed her mission, thereby breaking her word to the Prince. 

Aquamarine noticed her face redden. "Forgive me, Commander. I didn't mean to make you give away your orders..." His voice was apologetic. 

"Never mind that," she muttered, irritated at herself. "It's my fault for admitting that you were right." Then a thought crossed through her mind. _If Aquamarine figured my mission out that easily... God, I just hope Sapphire doesn't come to the same conclusion._

She sat down in the chair wearily, but not before taking care to set aside the sword. Aquamarine observed her silently. 

"Your mission... It bothers you?" he finally asked. 

"Of course it bothers me," snapped Alexandra. "I've been ordered to kill the King of Earth!" Aquamarine raised an eyebrow. 

"Is that no less daunting than being asked to eliminate the Sailor Soldiers?" he answered archly. There was a pause, then a sigh. 

"I'm sorry," Alexandra said apologetically. "I didn't mean to belittle your mission, Aquamarine, or that of the rest of the Guard, for that matter; I'm just tense, that's all. It's just that..." She stared off into space for a moment, trying to find the right words to voice her discontent. 

"Well... When Sapphire told you to defeat the Sailor Soldiers, it was more out of necessity than anything else; to him, it was completely impersonal. However, when Prince Diamond looked me straight in the eyes and ordered me to kill King Endymion... I knew right then that he didn't just want the King dead; he wanted him completely wiped off the face of the planet... To never have existed." 

There was a pause of silence. Then Aquamarine replied, "It is strange, how we can be controlled by our emotions... Thousands of years have passed, and it still manages to overwhelm us, and cloud our judgement. And love is a very powerful emotion. Even our Prince is not immune to its powers, it seems..." 

"Yes..." Alexandra couldn't help thinking to herself, _And yet... Prince Diamond has given me an order, and I cannot fail him; I must trust his judgement. Surely it is for the good of the Black Moon Family..._

There was another pause. Then, Aquamarine cleared his throat delicately. "That being said, Commander... Perhaps you should take my words into consideration, as well." Alexandra's eyes narrowed. 

"Your meaning?" 

"Just to be wary, Commander. And to not allow your own perceptions of... Someone... Be coloured by your emotions." 

Alexandra gave him a sharp glance, but Aquamarine's expression was as impassive as always. It was unlike him to be so forward like this... She looked up at him, staring him straight in the eyes. 

"I have never let my feelings get in the way of my duty," she said bluntly. 

Though it was phrased as a statement, Aquamarine sensed the question behind the sentence. Her searching eyes met his steady, sea-green gaze. Then he inclined his head, respectfully. 

"No. You haven't," he replied. 

She nodded briefly, satisfied. After a moment, Alexandra spoke. "Well, as you said before, Aquamarine, it is getting late... I should be getting to bed. After all, we have a long day ahead of us, tomorrow." She stood up, first carefully replacing the sword on a rack. Then Alexandra headed towards the door, turning to her second before leaving. 

"Good night, Aquamarine." His watchful gaze followed her as she walked out of the training room. 

"Sleep well... Commander." 

Alexandra had walked only a few steps down the hallway, when her second-in-command's voice made her pause and turn. 

"Commander?" 

"Yes?" 

As she looked back at him, Aquamarine's brow wrinkled slightly, and she felt his uncertainty. Alexandra was disconcerted by this. Her usually impassive second-in-command showing even the merest trace of emotion was rather unnerving. Then his face smoothed into its usual, unexpressive state. 

"Just... Be careful tommorrow," he murmured. Alexandra blinked in surprise, and then smiled wanly, touched by her second's concern. 

"You, too. Thank you, Aquamarine." Then she turned around and walked down the hall, determined to catch what little sleep she could before the impending battle. 

***** 

On Earth, warning lights flashed all over the Crystal Palace. In the central Control Room of the palace, the ruler of Crystal Tokyo and her consort stood around a large computer screen, along with three of the Sailor Soldiers. 

Sailor Mercury was tapping in buttons at the control panel before her. "I'm detecting high levels of negative energy at these points," she said, pointing at the large screen above the panel; it displayed a map of Crystal Toyko, with red lights blinking at four points around the city. "The negative energy is also being aimed at the Palace, but I'm doing my best to divert its flow." 

"Can you figure out where it's coming from?" asked King Endymion. 

"Not yet," she replied. "It may be a good idea if the other Sailor Soldiers and I check out the points, so we can find out exactly what we're dealing with here." The King nodded. 

Just then, Sailor Jupiter ran into the room. "I can't find Reenie," she said, worried. "I've looked everwhere inside the palace." 

"Wasn't she playing outside?" asked Sailor Mars. Neo-Queen Serenity paled. 

"I'll go get her," said the Queen, determined. She turned to leave, but then stopped, as a hand touched her shoulder. 

"Let us look for her," said Sailor Jupiter. The Neo-Queen looked uncertain. 

"But--" Just then, Sailor Venus held her by the shoulders, and looked straight into her eyes. 

"You're the Queen of the Earth now, remember?" she said sternly. "We have to keep you safe; we can't risk you going out there right now." The rest of the Sailor Soldiers nodded. The Queen looked defiant for a moment, but then hung her head and sighed. 

"I suppose you're right," she conceded reluctantly. The Sailor Soldiers then turned to leave, King Endymion taking Sailor Mercury's place at the control panel. Sailor Jupiter looked back and gave the Queen an encouraging smile. 

"Don't worry, we'll find her." Mars nodded. 

"Yeah, and then we'll check out those negative points of energy Mercury was talking about." The four Sailor Soldiers then left the room. The ruler of Crystal Tokyo watched them go, her concern apparent on her face. 

*** 

Moments later, Sailor Mercury was running towards one of the pillars of negative energy, a solid line of cold, black fire that reached to the sky. She hadn't realized just how immense it was... Though she had seen many unspeakable things over the years as a Sailor Soldier, this was certainly one of the worst. As soon as she reached the foot of the pillar of power, she stopped in her tracks. 

As she looked up at it, she pulled out her tiny pocket computer, and began to take energy readings. There was an amazing amount of power here; it almost seemed to be sucking the life energy from the Earth itself... 

Mercury was trying to determine its power source when suddenly, she noticed an anomaly in her analysis readings, indicating that it had detected a life force within the negative energy. She stared at her calculations in bewilderment, then looked up at the dark energy pillar. 

_Surely there couldn't be somebody in there, could there?_ she thought to herself. _Could they have gotten trapped inside? Still, all that negative power... How could anyone possibly survive?_

Uncertain, she flicked on her goggles and began to examine the dark energy with them. It only confirmed her theory. With some shock, she realized that the power contained within it did indeed conceal someone... Or perhaps some thing. 

"Well done, Sailor Mercury. I am impressed." 

Sailor Mercury looked up in surprise, as black energy curled away from the pillar of dark power, like mist. It revealed a man with long, pale blue hair and cold, blue-green eyes, like the depths of the Arctic Ocean. There was a black inverted crescent marked upon his forehead. 

"Then again, I would expect nothing less from the brilliant Sailor Mercury, the legendary Sailor Soldier of Logic," he continued emotionlessly, without inflection. 

"Who are you?" she asked. He regarded her coolly, as he floated in midair. 

"I am Aquamarine, second-in-command of the Elite Guard of Nemesis... And a warrior of the Black Moon Family." 

*** 

Meanwhile, at the Crystal Palace, King Endymion stood at the control panel, examining the readings that flashed on the screen before him. At his back, paced Neo-Queen Serenity, wringing her hands. The King glanced back at her in concern. 

"Beloved? Are you all right?" The Queen nodded, obviously preoccupied. 

"Yes love, but..." She sighed. "I'm just so worried for them; Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus. I wish could be out there with them, by their side, like in the old days. At least I'd know if they were okay." 

King Endymion spared a moment of pity for her. She always cared so much about others; that was one of the reasons he had fallen in love with her. 

Turning away from the controls for a moment, he clasped her in a comforting embrace. "Don't worry... They'll be all right, like always." He smiled gently at her. "Why don't you go check on Reenie? I know the girls brought her back to her room safely." The Neo-Queen smiled back at him. 

"You're right... That should make me feel better." Reaching up, she softly kissed the King on the cheek. Then she quietly left the room, as King Endymion turned back to his work. 

Neo-Queen Serenity walked down a corridor, then pressed a panel on the wall. A door slid open. 

"Reenie?" she called out, as she stepped inside. "I hope you're okay, honey, Mommy just wanted to see how you were..." Her voice trailed off, as she realized the room was empty. 

"Reenie...?" said the Queen, her eyes widening. 

*** 

Meanwhile, Sailor Mercury gazed up at the man called Aquamarine, as she contemplated upon the words he had just told her. 

"The Black Moon Family...?" she repeated. Aquamarine nodded briefly. 

"I hear that you are very learned, Sailor Mercury... I wonder how much you recall of history, as well? Long ago, the members of my clan were banished from Earth to Nemesis, for refusing to be purified by the power of the Silver Crystal." Mercury silently put away this information, and then addressed the blue-haired man again. 

"You said you're from Nemesis... The legendary tenth planet of the Solar System?" 

"That is correct. It seems you are as knowledgable as they say, Sailor Soldier." His cool green eyes then narrowed. "But I'm afraid the time for talk has passed." 

After speaking these words, an ice blue trident materialized in his hands. As he pointed it at her, Sailor Mercury's eyes widened as icicles formed at the tips of the weapon; she leapt away just in time when three projectiles flew from it, striking the ground right where she had been standing. Warily, she got to her feet, while Aquamarine watched her, his face devoid of expression. 

Closing her eyes, Sailor Mercury gathered her power around her, and with care, took aim... 

*** 

Back on Nemesis, Sapphire carefully observed the progress of the battle, in the War Room. On the holographic map of Crystal Tokyo, four of the crystal counters were glowing steadily, indicating that they were already in combat. He nodded in satisfaction. He then turned to the counter placed at the Crystal Palace. 

Sapphire's brow furrowed. "That's odd..." Perhaps it was just him, but the statuette of alexandrite no longer seemed to be at its original position. As he watched it closely, he realized that it was, in fact, moving. 

"I thought I told Alexandra to secure the outer perimeter of the Palace," he muttered to himself. "She knows better than to leave her post." It was most unlike her to disobey orders like this. 

Suddenly he stiffened. He glanced at the counter once more, then stared. But there was no mistake; the counter's progress had just entered the Crystal Palace, and even now it was obvious that it was heading towards its centre. A horrible realization began to creep over Sapphire. 

"Oh, no..." he breathed. "Brother, you didn't..." 

*** 

Alexandra stood warily, flattened against one of the walls of Crystal Palace. Fortunately, she had not been detected yet... Though the stream of dark energy she had travelled in was aimed directly at the heart of the palace, Sapphire had tactfully teleported her just outside its walls. 

Earlier, she had watched as the four Sailor Soldiers ushered Small Lady into the building, then ran out again, each headed towards one of points of dark power; that was one part of her mission accomplished. Now, for the next phase... 

Carefully, she reached up and pulled off her left earring, which quickly lengthened into a blade. Grasping the hilt in both hands, Alexandra slowly stepped away from the wall. Then, focusing her powers into the sword, she spun around suddenly and cried out, "Dark Lightning Strike!" 

Dark bolts of energy crackled from the crystal blade and embedded themselves in the wall, which promptly shattered. Alexandra watched in grim satisfaction as the debris fell away. It perhaps wasn't the most subtle way of entering the palace, but at least it gave her the element of surprise. 

Immediately, she stepped inside the breach she had made, and started running into the building, her short, low-heeled boots making clacking sounds as they hit the floor. 

Not surprisingly, a couple of palace guards ran up to her, obviously to investigate the noise. She promptly ran the first one through with her sword; the second, she only managed to slash across the ribs. She ducked as his pike swept over her head, then dispatched him with another thrust of her blade. 

They were many more guards after that. But Alexandra was Commander of the Elite Guard of Nemesis, and had earned her post for a reason. She managed to defeat all of them, while they barely made a mark on her. One of the palace guards made the unfortunate mistake of trying to attack her from behind; a dark crystal dagger had stabbed into his stomach, for his pains. 

Alexandra wiped the blood from her dagger and replaced it, as it shrank back into an earring. She was very close to the centre of the palace, now; she almost could feel it. 

Cautiously, she picked her way across the hallway. The few people she came across now were unconscious, as the Black Crystal's power took its toll. She stepped into another corridor, and entered the heart of the Crystal Palace. 

Standing with her back against a pillar, Alexandra glanced around the corner. _This must be the Control Room,_ she thought to herself, noting the large computer screen that dominated the opposite side of the room. Looking up at the display, she noticed an image of her home planet of Nemesis, with readings flickering along beside it. 

In front of the screen, with his back turned against her, stood someone who rapidly tapped buttons into the panel in front of him. He had short, violet hair and wore a long cape. By his stance, she knew he was male; most likely, it was King Endymion. 

He turned for a moment, and she caught a glimpse of his masked profile. Alexandra nodded grimly. _Definately the King,_ she thought. She tugged off her right earring again, which immediately lengthened into a dagger. Holding it delicately by the tip, she steeled herself for the moment when she would throw the weapon into his unprotected back. 

She found herself hesitating, and she snarled under her breath. _What's wrong with me?_ thought Alexandra irritably. 

Then she recalled her uneasiness as the Prince had given her her mission, and voicing her doubts to Aquamarine. _I know I've had doubts about this assignment since the beginning, but... I've defeated dozens of men in battle! Why am I letting this get to me?_

_But that's the problem, isn't it?_ whispered an internal voice. _You've defeated them in combat, not like this. Not by stabbing them in the back, like a coward._ And Alexandra finally realized what had been bothering her. 

_Up until now, I've met all my opponents in battle. Assassination in comparison, is so... Dishonourable, somehow._ She looked back at the King. _He may be my enemy, but even then, I can't just stab him in the back... I am a warrior, not an assassin._

_Still... I've been given orders by the Prince,_ Alexandra realized somberly. _I must carry out his commands; it's my duty._ Then a thought struck her. 

_The Prince never said *how* I should get rid of King Endymion..._ Suddenly, she knew what she had to do. What she had in mind was far more risky, but... 

The dagger in her hand shrank back to an earring, which she put back on. _I will kill the King... But on my *own* terms._

_And at very least,_ Alexandra thought to herself, reaching for her other earring and drawing out her sword, _I will not die without honour..._

*** 

Meanwhile, King Endymion was doggedly continuing his work at the control panel, determined to discover as much information on the invasion on Earth as possible. He was so absorbed in his work that he ignored the sparks that would occasionally crackle across the console's surface, beneath his rapidly tapping fingers. 

"King Endymion." 

At the sound of his name, the King whirled around; the voice was no one he recognized, which immediately put him on his guard. Behind him, he saw a red-haired woman, her clothing bloodstained, though she herself seemed uninjured. In one hand she held a sword of black crystal, which seemed to pulse with dark energy even as he looked at it. He found himself reaching for his cane, which he gripped apprehensively. 

"Who are you?" he snapped. "How did you get in here?" The woman shrugged, almost negligently. 

"It should be obvious how I got in here," she replied, waving a hand over her blood-splattered clothes. "As for who I am..." She straightened unconciously. 

"I am Alexandra, Commander of the Elite Guard of Nemesis, and Protector of the Royal Family of the Black Moon." Her eyes then narrowed calculatingly. "And I have come to challenge you, King of the Earth." 

As her words sank in, the King's eyes widened. "You can't be serious!" 

"Deadly serious, your Majesty." The woman's stance had changed, with her sword held out defensively. 

"You're in the middle of enemy territory," reasoned the King, trying to project calm in his voice. "Even if you did manage to defeat me, you'd never get out here alive." The woman's eyes narrowed. 

"I am quite aware of that," she replied bluntly. 

It was then that King Endymion realized the truth in her words: she was fully willing to die in this endeavor, if necessary. As he stood in hesistation, the one called Alexandra seemed to read his thoughts. 

"Do not deny me this, King Endymion," she said softly, a threatening tone entering her voice. "I had the opportunity to kill you but a moment ago. Turn down my challenge, and you *will* die." 

As their gazes met, the King saw a dangerous light enter Alexandra's eyes. With a sigh of regret, he pulled out his cane. 

"Very well." Holding out his weapon protectively, the two saluted each other, and the duel began in deadly earnest. 

Alexandra began the fight with a quick thrust to the midsection. It was a predictable attack, but it was also a test, to see if King Endymion had become complacent over the years. However, he easily parried the move with his cane, thus living up to her expectation. The King then followed it up by twirling his weapon into her face, which she quickly deflected. 

As the match went on, Alexandra immediately realized that Endymion was in excellent shape. _Of course, that's one of the advantages of eternal youth,_ she thought resentfully. The Black Moon Family had always found that idea aborrent, and the commander was no exception. 

Still, his youth had no direct bearing on his technique, and that had impressed her; a thousand years of living in peace had not diminished his abilities by any means. That was both a blessing and a curse; while a weaker adversary would be easier to defeat, she appreciated a worthy opponent even more, someone who could match her skills... And the King certainly could do that, if not more. 

Before the match had begun, Alexandra had resolved herself not to use her magical abilities. She knew that in his youth, the King of the Earth was known for using his physical strength in battle, rather than the elemental powers used by the Sailor Soldiers; she intended to hold herself to that promise. 

That being said, she aimed a front snap kick towards his face; the King reacted by stepping back, and shielding himself with his cape. The commander then completed the attack with a downward swipe of her sword, which was blocked by her opponent's cane in midair. 

As the battle continued, it seemed that they were both equally matched; every thrust was parried, every move blocked by the other. Yet Alexandra knew that one of them had to make a mistake eventually. 

That moment finally came, and fortunately, it was in her favour. She had just jabbed her sword towards King Endymion's shoulder, while he had ducked and sidestepped to avoid it, as she knew he would. However, she was now close enough to follow up the move, and Alexandra swept her elbow backwards into the King's face. He had not been expecting this, it seemed, and her attack connected; he fell to the ground, dazed. 

Turning around, the commander pointed her crystal sword towards the prone man. But as she looked down at him, her eyes widened. 

The King lay there, watching her warily. It appeared that the force of the blow she had given him had not only hit his head, but had knocked off his mask, as well. Alexandra found herself looking into a face that was eeriely, almost painfully, familliar to her. 

_Impossible..._ she thought, staring in disbelief. _He... King Endymion looks... Almost exactly like Lord Sapphire..._

Her thoughts were abruptly cut off, however, when she felt her legs being swept from underneath her; the King had turned the tables around, by knocking her off her feet with his cane. As she fell, he attempted to hit her in the head with the blunt side of his weapon, but she managed to duck and roll away. 

Rising to her feet, Alexandra mentally cursed herself. _I can't believe I let myself be distracted by that!_

She cast an irritated glare at the King. Thankfully, he had managed to replace his mask while she had been down, but this was of little comfort to her; while she had to admit the King's appearance had been a bit of a shock, she refused to excuse herself from it. 

_Aquamarine warned me about this,_ she recalled bitterly. _I've finally let my feelings get in the way of my duty..._ As the King awaited her next move, she focused upon him, with deadly concentration. 

_But it will not happen again,_ thought Alexandra firmly, taking an aggressive stance. _I will defeat you, Endymion!_

*** 

King Endymion continued to deflect Commander Alexandra's attacks, which had increased over the past few minutes. Despite the fact that she was his enemy, he respected the skill that she displayed; he was finding her to be a formidable opponent. 

Suddenly, he found himself being backed into the control panel of the computer console; casting an inadvertant glance at the screen behind him, Endymion was astonished to see that it now displayed the planet of Nemesis pulsating with dark energy. _If they hit the palace one more time, I don't think the building could take it..._ he thought, worried. 

Noticing the King's distraction, Alexandra took advantage of it and aimed an overhead strike to his head. But King Endymion managed to parry it with a high block, still wrapped up in his own thoughts. _I have increase the shields on the palace... But how can I distract this enemy soldier long enough to do so?_ Although he had caught her off guard before, he had a feeling that she wouldn't allow that to happen again. 

Suddenly, an idea formed in his mind. It was risky... _But I hardly have any other choice, do I...?_

By this point, Alexandra had King Endymion up against the crackling surface of the control panel; only the King's cane stood between the edge of her sword and his face. He managed to shove her away with his weapon, then took a defensive stance as she quickly recovered. Holding out his cane protectively, he made sure that Alexandra was watching it, cat-like, for the next move he'd make... 

Then he dropped it. 

She hesistated for only a brief moment, but it was enough. As the woman lunged forward for the final thrust of her blade, the King had already taken hold of control panel behind him. Throwing his weight against it, he kicked out with both legs, barely missing the point of her sword, and caught Alexandra squarely in the midsection. 

The female soldier was thrown backwards from the force of the blow; the wind knocked out of her, the woman slid halfway across the tiled floor, until she lay, unmoving. 

Breathing heavily from the exertion of the fight, King Endymion turned his back on her and desperately punched in buttons at the already overloaded computer console, determined to increase the protections on the palace. 

But unbeknownst to the King, Alexandra was still conscious. Slowly, she came to; opening her eyes, she found herself staring blearily at King Endymion. When she realized what he was doing, however, a surge of anger brought her immediately to her senses. 

_How... How dare he!_ she thought in silent outrage. _How dare he turn his back on our duel! And here I thought the King of Earth was a man of his word..._ Her eyes narrowed. _Very well, he will die like the dog he is._

As she got up stealthily, Alexandra found herself reaching for her dagger once again. Rising to her knees, she focused upon the most vunerable part of King Endymion's treacherous back, now fully intent upon killing him. 

All of a sudden, a pulse of light burst from the computer screen above the King. Alexandra heard him cry out, saw him try to shield himself with his cape, but the energy surge overwhelmed him; she had to cover her eyes as the brightness flared, outlining Endymion's figure in shadow for a brief moment, before she was completely blinded by the light. 

When Alexandra was finally able to see again, the first thing she saw was King Endymion lying on the ground, deathly still. Warily, she got to her feet; when she realized that he was truly unconscious, she began to approach him cautiously, all thoughts of vengance gone from her mind. 

While she was walking, she then stumbled, as the ground rumbled under her feet. As she glanced down at the floor in bewilderment, Alexandra found her gaze moving back up, as she realized that rubble was beginning to rain down from the ceiling. She managed to roll away before any of it could crush her; when she looked back, she saw that the fallen debris had partially blocked her path to the King, and she cursed under her breath. 

Now she was torn between two choices; she had to check if King Endymion was really dead, but the room was also starting to cave in. Hesistantly, she took step towards the body, but just then, another piece of the ceiling fell in. Self-preservation won out. Casting a last, uneasy glance at the King's prone form, Alexandra turned around and ran out of the room. 

_Besides, if he isn't dead already,_ she thought callously to herself, _he will be once the room collapses._ Still, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling of a job left undone... 

*** 

As the sound of the commander's footsteps faded away, a figure appeared in the shuddering Control Room. Ignoring the falling debris around it, it walked towards the unconscious King of the Earth, and knelt beside him. Gloved fingers touched his neck, looking for a pulse; there was a sigh of relief when it was found, faint, but present. 

Slender arms supported King Endymion, lifting him up, then reached down to pick up the staff that it had laid aside. Then Sailor Pluto, the Sailor Soldier of Time, summoned her powers and disappeared, along with the comatose body of her beloved King. 

*** 

Meanwhile, out in the city, there was a brief respite during the battle between the two masters of water. Sailor Mercury took a moment to catch her breath, while her opponent, in contrast, looked barely winded. The black waves of water swirling around him settled. 

"You have been a most worthy adversary, Sailor Soldier," complimented Aquamarine. "You are as skilled with your powers as you are with the knowledge you keep." His features then hardened, the first change of expression she saw pass across his face. "However... The game ends here." 

Aiming his trident towards Sailor Mercury, Aquamarine focused the full extent of his powers through it, and cried out, "Dark Aqua Tempest!" 

Immediately, dark, icy energy poured from the weapon, threatening to shower the Sailor Soldier with its power. Mercury tried to shield herself from the attack, but she had been already weakened by the previous battle; she could feel the cold, negative force bleeding through her defenses. 

_It's... It's all over,_ she thought despairingly, as hope seemed to bleed from her wounds, as well. But the feeling only lasted for a moment. 

_No! I refuse to believe it! This feeling of helplessness; it's part of the enemy's power, isn't it...? I have to believe in my own strength._

Gathering up the remains of her own personal energy, Sailor Mercury called upon the power of her guardian planet, crying, "Mercury Planet Power!" 

Instantly, her own swirls of energy, light to combat his dark, formed around her. As it was summoned, she directed its power towards the Black Moon warrior, and it poured forth from her hands. 

Meanwhile, Aquamarine had noticed the change in his opponent's demeanour, saw the light energy heading towards him. Increasing the strength of his own attack, there was a splash of brightness as it collided with his own black power. For a moment, the two forces were held in check; but slowly, inexorably, the darkness was being pushed back. 

Aquamarine tightened his grip on his trident, as he watched this turn of events in mute astonishment. _How is this possible?_ he thought, bewildered. For the first time in his life, logic had escaped him. _I was so sure she was out of strength..._ As he stared at the Sailor Soldier to determine the reason for this, his gaze met hers. 

As he looked into her eyes, he saw the accumulated wisdom of a millenium; he saw someone who had fought no matter what the odds were, how much doubt there was in their own abilities.... And had survived. He saw a person who had put their life on the line, time and time again, just to protect others. In those eyes, Aquamarine saw his death. 

The handle of the trident shattered in his hands, and the blue-white energy washed over him. The cold had never hurt Aquamarine before; but now, its power overwhelmed him, so icy cold that it burned. It froze him, numbing him until the pain no longer mattered... Then, his body, no longer able to withstand the strain, was thrown backwards until he fell bonelessly to the ground. 

It took a moment for Sailor Mercury to realize her opponent was down. Catching her breath, she watched his prone body warily for a moment; then, she immediately turned and ran back towards the Crystal Palace, determined to warn the Queen. 

However, Aquamarine was still alive, if barely. In the strange, occult bond he seemed to share with the rest of the Black Moon Family, he felt the life force ebbing away from his fellow members of the Elite Guard, as they too were defeated by the other Sailor Soldiers. With the last of his power, he reached out to each of them, pulled, then sent it away... 

"Commander..." he murmured softly. "A... Alexandra. I'm sorry... We failed y..." Then, there was nothingness. 

*** 

In the War Room of Nemesis, Sapphire frowned, as he stared at at the map of Crystal Tokyo. The glow of four of the crystal counters was no longer steady; rather, the pulses of light had become wild and erratic. 

His frown deepened. This could only mean that the energy levels of the Elite Guard were fluctuating rapidly; he had made the counters very sensitive towards that sort of thing. His consternation only increased as the statuettes began to tremble in place. 

"What in th--" He never got to finish the sentence. 

Sapphire had just enough time to shield his face as the four statuettes shattered before his horrified eyes, filling the air with sparkling, multicoloured shards. 

TO BE CONCLUDED... 

***** 


	3. Love and War

A Black Moon fanfic 

"The Taking of Crystal Tokyo" 

***** 

Part Three: Love and War 

Alexandra hurried down the hallways of the Crystal Palace, pausing to lean on a pillar now and then as an energy blast rocked the building on its foundations. As she dodged a piece of falling debris, thoughts flew across her mind. 

_I thought Sapphire said they were going to attack the palace after my men and I teleported back to Nemesis! Surely he wouldn't begin the attack... Without us..._ She shook her head violently. No, she knew Sapphire; he wouldn't do that, not unless he absolutely had to. He didn't believe in 'acceptable losses'. 

_But... Perhaps the rest of my men have returned?_ she thought. _Have they accomplished their missions, already...?_

Suddenly, she sensed a pull of dark energy before her; Alexandra froze in her tracks, as she recognized its power. In front of her, a sphere of dark mist was forming. Slowly, she walked towards it. 

As she approached, the sphere's surface became clear, like a bubble. There seemed to be something inside it... With a shock, she recognized the contents. 

Inside, lay a twisted length of gold wire; beside it, was a scorched cat'o'nine tails. Next to that was the hilt of a sickle, with the blade broken off, and finally, the three-pronged head of a shattered trident. Alexandra stared at them in disbelief. 

"Oh, no..." she whispered. "Not all of them...?" 

Holding out her hands, the bubble floated down, settling in her arms. She clasped it sorrowfully, like a child might hold a favourite toy. 

There was a shudder beneath her feet. Alexandra came to herself, slowly; realizing she was still deep in enemy territory, her expression hardened. 

Tucking the globe carefully under her arm, she began to run once more, determined to escape the palace. There would be time for mourning later; she still had to report back. Right now, she had to get out of here... Alive. 

*** 

Sapphire teleported into the Throne Room of the Nemesian palace, taking a few steps forward as if he had just been running. He took a deep breath, and bowed. 

"Prince Diamond," he began, his voice uncertain, "I regret to inform you that four of the Elite Guard have been killed in battle by the Sailor Soldiers. Commander Alexandra is still alive, but I'm afraid I've had to begin the attack on the Crystal Palace prematurely, and..." 

His voice trailed off as he looked up, and realized he was talking to thin air. He looked around. The room was completely empty; the throne unoccupied. Sapphire stared at it, at a loss for words. Then, something else caught his eye. 

The holographic podium before the throne was lit up. Sapphire approached it cautiously; it was unlike his brother to leave it on like this. As he walked up to it, he recognized the image, and stopped in his tracks. 

Though he had never seen this particular hologram before, he instantly recognized the likeness of Neo-Queen Serenity. Sapphire glared at it resentfully. How long had his brother hidden this here? _There must be a secret button or panel for it,_ he thought to himself. 

Still, it was unusual for Prince Diamond to leave it up, considering that he managed to keep this a secret even from him. What could make him careless enough to leave it on? _Unless..._

Sapphire froze. He knew his brother well, but... Surely he wouldn't be reckless enough to-- 

Quickly, he phased out of the Throne Room, straight into the Teleporter Room. As soon as he materialized, he immediately noticed that the co-ordinates on the display were set for Earth, and the Crystal Palace. Desperately punching in buttons at the control panel, he found out that the same co-ordinates were set not twenty minutes ago... By his brother. 

Sapphire slumped against the control panel despondantly, and hung his head. 

*** 

High above Crystal Tokyo, Prince Diamond floated, surveying the destruction of the once fair city with grim satisfaction. He had not come to gloat, however; he was not one to glory in such things. No, he had another purpose in mind... 

A mere half-hour ago, the ruler of Nemesis had been sitting upon his throne, brooding over his hologram of Neo-Queen Serenity, when he was startled out of his reverie by an unexpected visitor. 

"Wiseman," murmured Prince Diamond in surprise, as the soothsayer materialized in the room. "This is most unexpected... Have you had a vision concerning the outcome of the battle?" 

"No, I'm afraid not," replied Wiseman, in his deep, sombre voice. "However, I have learned something else that might be of great interest to you, your Highness..." 

The Prince lifted an eyebrow. "Is that so?" 

Wiseman nodded, then waved his hands over the crystal ball before him. "It seems that in exactly one hour from now, Neo-Queen Serenity will be found wandering outside the front gates of the Crystal Palace." 

"What?" Prince Diamond was so taken aback, that he had stood up from his throne. Realizing this, he managed to compose himself and sit down, thoughtfully. _But the Queen never leaves the Palace...._ He glanced up at Wiseman. "Are you absolutely sure about this?" 

"Yes, your Highness." Wiseman stared deeply into his crystal ball. "It appears that she will be looking for someone..." 

"Looking for someone..." repeated Diamond softly. He blinked, then stood up once more. 

"Thank you for this valuable information, Wiseman," he addressed the cloaked form. "I believe it will prove to be most... Useful." The Prince then teleported out of the room, under Wiseman's watchful eyes. 

Prince Diamond opened his own eyes, as he was brought back to the present. As glanced down at the Crystal Palace beneath him, he realized what had disturbed his thoughts; the movement of a figure below him, one that had haunted his dreams for many nights. 

"Wiseman was right..." he murmured under his breath. He had no reason not to believe the soothsayer; all of his visions had been correct thus far. Yet this particular one had seemed far too good to be real to Diamond... Until now. 

Floating down, Prince Diamond began to approach his destiny. It was then that he realized that Neo-Queen Serenity was not alone; it appeared that she was speaking to a smaller figure, huddled behind a pillar. But the Prince only had eyes for the Neo-Queen... As he came closer, he caught a few scraps of conversation. 

"Reenie, darling, why did you run away from the palace? I've been so worried about you!" 

"Oh, Mommy, I can't tell you! You'll be angry at me!" 

"Now, now, dear... Surely it can't be bad as all that..." The Queen's voice then trailed off, as she seemed to sense the presence of Diamond. As she looked up at him, their eyes met. 

Never had he seen eyes like hers; the deep blue of the sky as he had always known it should be, not the dull sky of Nemesis; the brilliant blue of the planet that she lived upon, and that he had always longed for... As he had always longed for her. 

Now Prince Diamond knew how others felt when held in the gaze of his third eye: caught, trapped, and unable to look away. But he revelled in the intensity of her gaze, as she began to speak. 

"Who are you?" she demanded. 

"I am Prince Diamond, ruler of the planet Nemesis, and leader of the Black Moon Family," he replied levelly. 

"And you are the one who caused this destruction?" continued the Queen angrily, gesturing at the ruins of the city before her. Diamond shrugged dismissively. 

"We have only come to reclaim our birthright; what is rightfully ours." As his cool gaze fell upon her once more, his eyes softened. "You know, it doesn't have to be this way, my Queen." 

His voice turned surprisingly gentle, persuasive. "Surrender the city to me, Neo-Queen Serenity, and I'll allow you to be my consort. With you by my side, we will rule the Earth... Together." Slowly, the Queen looked up at him, her expression firm. 

"No." 

"Come now, my Queen," the Prince chided, unperturbed. "There is no one to stand in the way of us both, now." At this, the Neo-Queen's brow furrowed slightly. 

"What on Earth are you talking about?" 

As he sensed her confusion, he took the opportunity to look deep into her eyes, searching for a sign of the love that he knew in his heart she harboured for him. But as realization dawned on her, he was shocked to find in her gaze not her undying love for him, but only revulsion and contempt. It was like a blow; he would've staggered, but his body had gone numb. He barely had time to recover when her next words registered into his consciousness. 

"I'd sooner die than to submit to you." 

Prince Diamond's expression looked outraged for a moment, and then it hardened. 

"I see," he said icily. It was then that the Prince's cold eyes finally fell upon young Princess Serenity, who shrank back from his gaze. 

"It's her fault, isn't it," he snarled, his words snapping out like whips of frozen fire. "Very well, then... If I get rid of her, then you will be mine!" He raised his hands, which glowed with dark power. 

"No!" cried Neo-Queen Serenity. 

Black energy flared from Diamond's fingertips, aimed directly at the young princess. But to the Prince's horror, the Queen managed to push her daughter out of its path, taking the full force of his attack instead. He could only watch numbly as she slowly fell to the ground... 

Suddenly, crystals began to form around the Neo-Queen's prone form. It was then that Prince Diamond realized that the four Sailor Soldiers had surrounded their fallen Queen, and were using their powers on her. In a state of detached shock, he managed to teleport himself away from the horrible scene, and back to Nemesis. 

Down on the ground below, Sailor Jupiter looked up at the sky, where Prince Diamond had been just a moment ago. Sailor Venus glanced back at her. 

"Something wrong, Jupiter?" she asked. The Sailor Soldier of Protection shook her head. 

"No, it's just... I was sure I sensed someone up there." 

Shielding her eyes, Sailor Venus looked up at the sky as well. "Well, whoever it was, they're gone now... Speaking of seeing someone, I was sure I noticed Reenie around here before the Queen fell... Did you?" Jupiter shook her head again, causing the blonde Sailor Soldier to sigh. 

"Well, let's help Mercury and Mars get the Queen inside. We can't risk any more attacks like this on her." Venus shook her head. "I swear, I don't know what she was thinking, stepping outside of the Palace like that..." 

*** 

When Alexandra reappeared in the Teleporter Room on Nemesis, she noted detachedly that the room was empty. Since she was expecting Sapphire's presence, she was a bit surprised, though somewhat grateful; if he had been there, he would've had to debrief her immediately. Now, she would have to go to the War Room later, to make her formal report. At any rate, Alexandra was thankful that he wasn't here at the moment; she didn't think she could face him right now. 

With a negligent wave of her hand, she sent the globe containing the ruined weapons of her departed comrades to Lord Sapphire, and it disappeared from sight. Then she numbly exited the room, walking slowly down the hallway. 

Silently, she made her way to her quarters, the door sliding open as she entered, then closing firmly behind her. Once inside, Alexandra stepped unseeingly towards her dressing table; upon reaching it, she reached up methodically to remove an earring. It was then that she happened to look up, and saw the reflection in the mirror before her. 

As she watched tears well up in her eyes, the Commander of the Elite Guard suddenly collapsed on the dressing table, racked with sobs, as the full weight of all that had happened crashed down upon her. 

_I've lost everyone,_ she thought in despair. _Peridot... Garnet... Topaz... Aquamarine. I should've trained them harder... I should've been there with them..._ As her own recriminations piled up on each other, Alexandra gave vent to the tears she dared not shed during her mission; to the sorrow that she refused to give into before, lest it interfere with her duty. 

Suddenly, she sensed someone behind her. Glancing up at the mirror in front of her, Alexandra was astonished to see Wiseman materialize in the room, floating a few feet off the ground. She turned around to look at him. 

"Wiseman," she said, suprised. The soothsayer's presence had caught her off guard. He had never expressed any interest in her before, other than the time Sapphire had given her the dark crystal earrings; she had noticed Wiseman watching her speculatively then, though he had said nothing. 

Alexandra turned away for a moment, surreptitiously wiping the traces of tears in her eyes, then faced the cloaked figure again. 

"I wasn't expecting to see anybody in here," she continued in a more level tone of voice. "Did Prince Diamond send you?" 

"I came out of my own accord," replied Wiseman emotionlessly. His hooded gaze watched her penetratingly. "Report to me the details of your mission." 

Something about his tone implied that he knew the true purpose of her assignment; somehow, Alexandra was not surprised by this. Her expression became unreadable. "As per the orders of the Prince, I entered the Crystal Palace, upon where King Endymion was critically injured," she told him impassively. 

"But not by you," finished Wiseman coldly. 

At that, Alexandra fixed him with an hard look. She was just about to demand how he knew this, when her gaze moved down, resting upon Wiseman's crystal ball. He continued relentlessly. 

"You failed to kill King Endymion. And by not assassinating him, you directly disobeyed the Prince's orders." Alexandra said nothing. She knew that he was right. 

"Thanks to your incompetence, the King is still alive. You could've redeemed yourself by eliminating him when he was injured, but you did not." 

It took a moment for the full meaning of his words to sink in, but when it did, Alexandra was outraged. 

"What?" she retorted. "You expected me to stab a wounded man in the back?" 

Wiseman regarded her intently for a moment. "I see," he said quietly. It was a simple phrase, but his voice was filled with contempt. 

"Still, you failed to accomplish your mission. Prince Diamond would not be pleased... Especially when I tell him." Alexandra's blood ran cold. Her eyes met his hooded gaze. 

"There is no room in the Black Moon Family for weakness, Alexandra." intoned Wiseman. "By failing to fufill the Prince's orders, you are a traitor to our cause. I am afraid that you are no longer welcome here on Nemesis." At those words, she stood, frozen, staring at Wiseman in disbelief. 

_What?_ Alexandra thought to herself, stunned. _No, it can't be! I've been... Cast out... Of the Black Moon Family..._ Despair washed over her. _Surely death is better than this..._ After a moment, the thought burned away, at a sudden burst of fury. 

_Why? Have I not served the Prince loyally all these years? I know that I failed my liege lord, but... Wiseman didn't have to cast me out!_ She glared at the cloaked figure suspiciously, struck by a sudden bout of paranoia. _Could he possibly have something to gain from all this...?_

The anger then died, as quickly as it came. _No, it can't be that, he already has the ear of Prince Diamond... But why, then? Is he truly that concerned about our Prince's desires?_

Without quite knowing why, she looked searchingly into his hooded face; staring into the depths, she sifted through the darkness within, trying to find the answer to her unspoken question. After a moment, she finally found what she was looking for: the distant flicker of his eyes. Alexandra then dropped her gaze, suppressing a shudder. She had realized that in Wiseman's eyes, she had caught a glimpse of his true nature. 

_We are nothing to Wiseman,_ she thought to herself. _To him, we are pawns merely to be used, manipulated, until we've outlived our purpose._

_He will destroy us all._

As Wiseman turned his back on her in distaste, her right hand clenched reflexively. It closed around something, which cut into her palm; looking down, she saw the dark crystal earring, still in her hand. Alexandra stared at it unseeingly for a moment, as thoughts continued to rush through her head... 

_Wiseman is a danger to all of us..._

Her eyes narrowed. The crystal earring lengthened, forming into a dagger. She felt her mind come into focus... And Alexandra remembered what made her an Elite Guard in the first place. 

_My job was... Is... To protect the Royal Family of Nemesis. I may no longer be a member of the Black Moon Family, but I still consider myself an Elite Guard... I cannot ignore my duty to the Prince. Wiseman is a threat; not just to Diamond, but to the entire family._

Now, she felt strangely calm... Once more, she had purpose. She had absolutely nothing to lose, at this point; one clean shot, and no one would ever know... 

With barely a flicker of motion, Alexandra threw the dagger. It was an accurate throw; it flew straight and true, aimed directly for Wiseman's unprotected back. 

So she was taken aback when the dagger was swallowed up by darkness before it reached its target. She was even more astonished as the dagger still managed to pierce through cloth and flesh... 

Alexandra gasped, and doubled over. Looking down, she saw through tears of pain, the dark crystal dagger embedded in her stomach. As she fell to her knees, Wiseman turned, to gaze at her contemptously. 

"Foolish woman," he said mockingly. "Did you really think you could use the power of the Black Crystal on me? Your foolish act has doomed you, Alexandra!" Chuckling evily, Wiseman disappeared. 

Propping herself up painfully for support, Alexandra pressed her hand to her side, to stop the bleeding. Fortunately, the dagger had gone in below the heart, barely missing the lungs; unfortunately, she would surely die from blood loss if she didn't get the wound treated soon. However, there was something else she had to do first. 

As she slumped to the floor, Alexandra thought weakly, _Must warn... Royal Family..._

*** 

In the War Room, Sapphire paced uneasily along the length of the room. It was a bad habit of his, he knew, but he felt he needed to use up all of his nervous energy, especially after all that had happened. 

An hour ago, Sapphire had been in the Teleporter Room, waiting worriedly for someone, anyone, to return from Earth. Bad enough that the nearly all the Elite Guard were dead and their commanding officer currently missing in action, but to also have his beloved elder brother thrust into such a situation was tearing him apart. 

A surge of energy from the teleporter made him look up. With some relief, Sapphire saw his brother walk out of the portal, but his intial reaction was short-lived, once he saw the distraught expression upon the Prince's face. 

"Brother?" Sapphire addressed him uneasily. Prince Diamond stared up at his younger brother, a haunted look in his eyes. 

"I killed her," he whispered. Then, the ruler of Nemesis nearly stumbled. Alarmed, Sapphire ran over to support him, and then, gathering his own personal power, managed to teleport the two of them to his brother's chambers. 

After directing him to a couch to where they could both sit down, Sapphire looked into Prince Diamond's eyes and asked him, "Tell me what happened." 

The story came out in fits and starts. 'Her' turned out to be Neo-Queen Serenity, just as Sapphire feared. By his brother's account, she probably wasn't dead, but Diamond was too steeped in horror over what he had done to realize this yet. Sapphire simply listened, until his older brother had calmed down sufficiently for him to point this out. 

"You're right," murmured Diamond, whose head was leaning upon his younger brother's shoulder, as the latter stroked his pale hair. Sapphire was struck by the incongruity of the situation; the big brother that he looked up to, needing his support for once. 

"You're right, Sapphire," repeated the Prince; he seemed to have regained his usual aplomb. "The Neo-Queen can't be dead... And Crystal Tokyo is under our control, for now." Pulling away from his younger brother's arms, he rose to his feet, then gave the latter a warm smile. "Thank you, little brother." 

Sapphire bowed his head graciously. "It is nothing, your Highness." 

Prince Diamond nodded. The expression left his face, and his usual cool demeanour returned. "I'd better return to the Throne Room; the reports from the battlefield should be coming in soon." Then he turned his back abruptly on his brother, and teleported out of the room. 

Sapphire was not resentful of Diamond's hasty departure; he knew how busy his older brother was. However, once the Prince had left, he let out a shuddering sigh, one that he would not allow when his brother was around. Comforting Prince Diamond had put an emotional strain on him as well, as it required him to project a feeling of calm, and Sapphire felt anything but that at the moment. 

Rubbing his forehead wearily, he was just about to get up and leave the Prince's chambers, when something caught Sapphire's eye; glancing down, he saw an object lying near his feet. 

"What's this...?" he murmured thoughtfully. _Is this for me? It must've been transported to me while I was with my brother..._ He was too preoccupied at the time to notice it, though. 

As he picked it up to examine it curiously, he realized that it was a globe. One look at its contents, however, immediately brought him to his feet. 

"Alexandra," he said softly. Then he quickly phased out of the room. 

And now Sapphire stood here in the War Room, anxiously awaiting the arrival of his commander, for her report. He cast an uneasy glance at the map display, where he had left the globe containing the shattered weapons of the Elite Guard. 

_I greatly underestimated the power of the Sailor Soldiers,_ he thought sombrely. All his carefully laid plans... _I was so sure our warriors could defeat them... Now, because of me, they have to pay the greatest price._ He closed his eyes painfully. _Granted, the city is ours now, but at what cost...?_

Sapphire then spared a moment of pity for Alexandra. She had lost so much... His guilt over the death of the Elite Guard must be nothing compared her own. But for all his sympathy, he glanced at the door with impatience. Even considering the circumstances, it was unlike her to be this late for a debriefing... 

"Lord Sapphire?" 

At the sound of the soft voice, Sapphire looked up once more, to see Alexandra suddenly leaning against the doorway. She was breathing heavily, and her face seemed paler than usual. A reprimand died on his lips, as his eyes met hers. 

"Alexandra?" he asked, his brow furrowing. 

As his gaze moved down, it was then that Sapphire noticed the hand pressed at her side... And the spreading stain of blood on her clothing beneath it. 

"Oh my God," he whispered. 

"Sapphire," she repeated, and slumped to the ground. Shocked, Sapphire rushed forward, managing to catch her in his arms. Laying Alexandra carefully on the floor, he propped her head up on his lap. There were tiny beads of sweat on her forehead. 

"Alexandra, who did this to you?" he demanded. "If you were injured in battle, why didn't you just teleport to the infirmary--" Alexandra shook her head convulsively. Urgently, she grasped his arm. 

"Have to... Warn you..." 

Instantly, Sapphire was alert. "Warn me? Warn me about what?" 

Alexandra was breathing shallowly; teleporting to the War Room had taken a lot out of her. Her pain-filled, red-violet eyes looked up into Sapphire's worried face. She could feel her sight blurring; mustering all of her strength, she focused on his eyes, until the blueness of his gaze filled her entire vision. Only then, did she manage to speak. 

"Wiseman," she whispered, finally. Then Alexandra's eyes closed, and her head fell to one side. Sapphire's eyes widened. 

"Alexandra?" he gasped, trying to revive her. "Alexandra!" Just then, a sudden, clattering noise made him turn his head, and look up. 

Alexandra's crystal counter, which up until now had been floating above the hologram of Crystal Tokyo, had fallen onto the map display. Sapphire stared at it uncomprehendingly for a moment; then he looked back down at her still form in disbelief. He hung his head, silently. Then, he reached down, to examine the wound that had killed his commander of the guard. 

Gently, he pushed aside Alexandra's hand, which was still pressed against her side. Once it fell away, a tiny movement caught his eye; Sapphire glanced down, to see a dark crystal earring roll across the floor. As it came to a stop, he stared at it in numb recognition. His eyes then narrowed; he had realized that the earring was covered in blood. Reaching over, he picked it up, his expression unreadable. 

*** 

Moments later, Sapphire materialized in the Throne Room for the second time that day, and spoke out with an urgent tone in his voice. 

"Brother, I need to have a word with you..." He then trailed off, once he realized that Prince Diamond already had an audience. Sapphire fell silent as two gazes, one violet in colour and one hooded in shadow, turned to look at him. 

"Ah, Sapphire," greeted his older brother, from the throne. "It is good that you have come; Wiseman was just about to tell me about something." 

"Hmmm... Yes," muttered the cloaked psychic. He distinctly turned his back on Diamond's blue-clad brother, and looked up at the Prince. 

"I'm afraid that the Commander of the Elite Guard is dead," began Wiseman, causing Sapphire to stare at him in surprise. The Prince raised an eyebrow at the soothsayer, who continued tonelessly. 

"It seems that she had failed in her mission of assassinating King Endymion. When I found out about this, I confronted her in her chambers about the matter... She then attempted to kill me." Sapphire gave a sharp intake of breath, while his brother, in comparison, remained emotionless. Wiseman went on. 

"I defended myself as best as I could," he told the Prince unctuously, "resulting in the traitorous woman's demise." 

At those words, Sapphire closed his eyes. _Oh, Alexandra..._ he thought to himself sadly, _What were you thinking, trying to kill Wiseman like that?_ Then, he recalled the woman's last words. 

_'Have to... Warn you... Wiseman...'_

_She obviously saw him as a threat..._ And the fact Wiseman had managed to kill his commander of the guard at all, told Sapphire that he was far more dangerous than he had realized, up until now. 

Sapphire glanced at his brother. Granted, what Commander Alexandra did could be considered treasonous, but it was Prince Diamond's job as ruler of Nemesis to make judgement upon such things, as well as mete out punishment for it; not that of his subordinates. 

_Besides, Alexandra has... Had been a faithful warrior of the Black Moon for many years. She would rather die than to dishonour herself; surely my brother realizes that..._ He looked up hopefully at the Prince, to see his reaction to Wiseman's news. 

"This has been a most... Unfortunate incident," commented Prince Diamond thoughtfully, causing the hope to fade from his younger brother's eyes. "But I suppose it cannot be helped..." 

The rest of his words were lost to Sapphire, as the Prince continued to speak to his advisor. Glaring at the cloaked sage, he suddenly felt a surge of anger. _Damn you, Wiseman!_ he cursed mentally, clenching a fist. 

"Brother?" 

Startled out of his thoughts, Sapphire glanced at Diamond, who was looking at him curiously. "Um, yes?" 

Prince Diamond pointed down, towards his brother's right arm. "Your hand... It seems to be bleeding." 

Sapphire cast a glance at his gloved fist. Indeed, a drop of blood appeared to have fallen from it, onto the floor. As he opened his palm, he saw that he still held the bloodstained crystal earring that had belonged to Alexandra, which in turn, had been a gift from him. _Blood on my hands..._ he thought emotionlessly. 

"Did you cut youself, brother?" continued the Prince, in concern. Returning to himself, Sapphire closed his hand. 

"Uh... Yes, that's it," he lied. "It's not serious." He then felt Wiseman's penetrating gaze turn upon him. 

"Oh. That's good." Prince Diamond relaxed, and leaned back in his throne. "Now, Sapphire, I believe there was something you wanted to talk to me about...?" Sapphire blinked, then schooled his expression into an unreadable mask. 

"No... No, it's nothing, brother." He then bowed to the Prince. "If you will excuse me..." Turning from the throne, he began to walk away. 

_Diamond trusts Wiseman far too much for even me to denounce him,_ he thought wearily. _And I now that know how dangerous that old man is, I have to protect the Prince... But the Elite Guard is gone..._ As he raised his head, there was a determined look in his clear blue eyes. 

"Only I can protect my brother, now..." whispered Sapphire to himself, and slowly faded away from the room. 

END 

***** 

Well, that's it... Hope you enjoyed the story. ^_^ There are only a few flashbacks to the invasion of Crystal Tokyo in the anime, and I tried to keep as faithful to those scenes as possible. 

Side notes: You may have recalled that on the show, Rubius had to subvert the Crystal Points in 20th century Tokyo, which consisted of a five-pointed star. Whereas in my story, I used four points; that's because in two of the flashbacks on the invasion, you clearly see four beams of light landing around Crystal Tokyo. (I actually had originally intended to have the Elite Guard land at five points in the story, with Alexandra having to go the Crystal Palace on foot.) Now, this sort of makes me wonder about the discrepancy... (Maybe Sapphire made a little miscalculation in his original battle plans...? ^_~) 

Another weird little note: When Prince Diamond kidnapped Serena in the anime, he did not take her to Nemesis, like in the manga; he took her to one of the dark crystal points around Crystal Tokyo (that's why Tuxedo Mask was able to hang-glide his way there to rescue her). Just thought I should point that out... 

And as if this afterword isn't long enough, I've added a full description of each of the Elite Guard below. (Yes, I know only two of them were featured in this story... Maybe next time. ^_~) 

That's all for now... Really. ^_~ Later! 

---Avi 

***** 

Alexandra 

Rank: Commanding officer of the Elite Guard  
Weapon: Dark Crystal Sword and Dagger  
Attacks:  
Dark Lightning Call  
Dark Lightning Strike 

Description: Straight red hair with bangs; hair reaches past the waist, and is tied off twice near the very end; red-violet eyes. 

Uniform: Long-sleeved, short-panted red jumpsuit with off-shoulder neckline and a high-collared, sleeveless, dark violet shirt underneath; dark violet elbow-length, fingerless gloves and matching stockings that reach up to the thighs; short, red boots; belt consisting of round gold plates, with reverse crescent in the centre; dark crystal earrings. 

*** 

Aquamarine 

Rank: 1st officer of the Elite Guard (second-in-command)  
Weapon: Dark Aqua Trident  
Attacks:  
Dark Icicle Lances  
Dark Aqua Tempest  
Dark Icy Tempest 

Description: Light-blue, waist-length hair, parted on the right; hair is straight and tied back in a low ponytail, only a single lock of which hangs on the left; aqua (turquoise) eyes. 

Uniform: Light-blue jacket with two white wave designs across the front; jacket is open partway down the chest; reverse crescent pendant with blue-green jewel in the shape of a teardrop on it, mounted on a string around the neck; white pleated pants and shoes, plain white gloves. 

*** 

Topaz 

Rank: 2nd officer of the Elite Guard  
Weapon: Dark Golden Garotte (Wire Whip)  
Attacks:  
Dark Web  
Puppet Strings 

Description: Golden-brown hair that reaches past the waist, tied in a long, thin braid; hair is parted in the middle, with long bangs falling into the eyes; gold-coloured eyes. 

Uniform: Golden jacket with cords of a lighter shade strung across the front and back in two rows (cords attach at the collar and at the middle of the back, then hang loosely on the shoulders); round gold pendant at the collar; plain golden-brown pants, brown and white saddle shoes. 

*** 

Garnet 

Rank: 3rd officer of the Elite Guard  
Weapon: Dark Flame Whip  
Attacks:  
Dark Burning Napalm 

Description: Middle-parted red hair, slightly unruly, tied in a tight ponytail; ponytail is thin and wavy and stops halfway down the back; brown eyes. 

Uniform: Dressed all in black, with tinges of red: sleeveless top made out of netting; leather choker with steel ring; wrapped armbands that reach up to the elbow; leather pants with studded belt and matching knee-high boots, laced up in the front. 

*** 

Peridot 

Rank: Junior officer of the Elite Guard  
Weapon: Dark Oak Sickle  
Attacks:  
Dark Sickle Slash  
Dark Earth Shatter 

Description: Short green hair, slightly unruly; eyes are a shade darker than the hair. 

Uniform: Green jacket with steel shoulder plates that have two spikes on each; dark brown band that stretches diagonally from the shoulder to the waist, which then attaches to a matching belt; green pants tucked into short dark brown boots with bands and buckles; fingerless dark brown driving gloves. 

***** 


End file.
